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Voldrad Alliance
The Voldrad Alliance was a coalition of aristocratic families in the Ultima Segmentum that declared themselves independent of the Imperium of Man during the Nova Terra Interregnum of M34–M35. They based their legitimacy off of their governance having been already largely independent from the High Lords of Terra, and claimed they were merely getting rid of a formality. Despite successfully repulsing an Imperial expeditionary force and holding their line for several decades, the Voldrad Alliance began to splinter after the death of its founder, Duke Constantin Mecetti. Over time it eventually collapsed into separate pockets operating individually which were easily reconquered by the Imperium, although the Alliance would last for about three centuries before being completely pacified. The total military strength of the Voldrad Allied Forces at the time of their formation was estimated by the Logis Strategos to be around 48.6 million troops and 500 warships. These included both rogue Imperial Guard regiments as well as local PDF forces that were raised by the highborn aristocrats, with the latter making up an increasingly large portion of their army as the war dragged on. Their space armada consisted of Imperial Navy and SDF vessels, which the nobles were able to keep well-maintained with their large wealth. The Voldrad leaders had a policy of engaging and eliminating their enemies in space and avoiding ground combat as much as possible. Because of the many different interests within the Voldrad Alliance that were only united by their common enemy in the form of the Imperium, it never formed a unified government or command structure, instead having the most powerful nobles be recognized as leaders. Only Duke Mecetti, the group's founder, had the universal obedience of all of the lords, but his successors were unable to attain the same level of authority. This greatly hindered its military's capabilities and contributed to its collapse. Voldrad Allied Forces The confederated aristocrats' total military strength was around 48.6 million troops and 500 warships, according to estimates by the Logis Strategos. The ground forces consisted of Imperial Guard regiments, PDF units, and many newly-raised legions of local conscripts. The space armada mostly included Imperial Navy and SDF vessels, which were later bolstered by new smaller ships constructed in the Segmentum's shipyards. The quality of their forces varied greatly, with some units being considered elite and posing a challenge to the Imperium's forces and others being of lower reliability. The Voldrad Alliance generals primarily relied on numbers to win the day. The lack of a unified command structure also was a detriment to their operations as different nobles had command of their own forces. Relations Ur-Council of Nova Terra As a fellow secessionist organization, the Ur-Council that started off the Nova Terra Interregnum gave diplomatic recognition to the Voldrad Alliance and the two factions exchanged ambassadors. Both were interested in fighting the Imperium and thus they had good relations early on, providing each other with intelligence and occasionally supplies. However, after Duke Mecetti's death in the 38th year of the 35th Millennium, relations began to cool as the various squabbling nobles were more interested in internal struggles for control rather than supporting the combined war effort or coordinating with allies. This proved damaging to the Voldrad league as the effectiveness of its military operations declined. Still, the two factions would continue to maintain relations to some degree until the final years of the alliance's existence. Imperium Since the Imperium claimed to be the only legitimate governing body of Mankind, diplomatic recognition of the Voldrad Alliance was impossible. Their relations were thus characterized by warfare that saw temporary pauses for several decades after major campaigns. Although the Voldrad nobles were open to negotiation, the Imperium considered it heretical to acknowledge their legitimacy at all so only a state of war existed between them. Category:Empires Category:Imperium Category:Rebels